This invention relates to the treatment of cocoa powder, dried whey, corn flour, soy flour, field pea powder and field pea flour.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,348,837, there is disclosed a method of treating cocoa and chocolate products wherein cocoa is mixed with water to form an emulsion that is passed through an electrical or centrifugal separator to be divided into two or three fractions. This involves continuous fractionation by electrophoresis, a method that differs from the method disclosed herein that:
1. Continuous fractionation by electrophoresis (and centrifugal separation) requires a free flowing mass; and the dilution ratio of water/powder are much higher than those recommended for use with the invention disclosed herein.
2. Separation by continuous fractionation is quicker than with the method disclosed herein.
3. The fractions obtained by using continuous fractionation by electrophoresis and centrifugal separation differs from the fractions that are obtained by applying the invention disclosed herein. For example, the method disclosed herein produces fractions with distinctly different pH's, which is not the case with continuous fractionation by electrophoresis or centrifugal separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,693, discloses a process for preparing a dutched cocoa product that is usable for making flavored beverages. The process described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,693, requires the addition of an alkali to dutch the cocoa and does not involve fractionation.
As far as is known, real chocolate flavored carbonated beverages are not being marketed for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is that an unsightly residue collects and continues to collect at the base of a water/cocoa mixture no matter how frequently the residue is removed. Other reasons are materials such as cocoa butter migrate to the top and cocoa powder, if consumed while in aqueous dispersion, leaves a gritty mouth feel. Also there is difficulty providing a chocolate flavored beverage having a suitable shelf life.
Also, the price of cocoa powder is rising to the point where numerous artificial cocoa products are on the market including artificial cocoa extenders. Although artificial cocoa extenders are on the market, a method to extend real cocoa powder so that less powder is required to flavor a given product is not. Also, due to the energy crunch in the world today, processes are needed that can rely upon, for the most part, solar energy (D.C. electricity).
In order to provide an improved process for making various cocoa, soy, whey, corn and field pea products this invention has been made.